Tobacco users, how about giving up tobacco? And lawmakers, how about giving up tobacco money? And giving cities in Oklahoma the option of crafting their own tobacco-control measures?
Tobacco use is arguably Oklahoma's biggest health problem, and a main reason the state regularly ranks poorly on measures of health and well-being.
It's the state's No. 1 cause of preventable death, responsible for the deaths of about 6,000 Oklahomans a year. At current usage rates, an estimated 87,000 Oklahoma young people will ultimately die premature deaths as a result of tobacco use.
The state has made strides in recent years in protecting non-users from the proven hazards of secondhand smoke. That's to our credit. But until the stranglehold that the tobacco industry has over our Legislature is broken, don't look for much more progress.
According to the website, 84 of the 97 representatives in office as of Oct. 1 have accepted a total of $80,550 in campaign contributions from tobacco lobbyists since 2006. Also since 2006, 45 of them have accepted a total of $29,750 from tobacco PACs. And 86 have accepted a total of $25,304 in meals and other gifts from tobacco lobbyists.
Nine representatives have accepted more than $3,000, and only one of them voted for tobacco-control legislation last year.
Over in the Senate, 41 of 48 senators have accepted a total of $74,750 in campaign funds from tobacco lobbyists since 2006. Twenty-two have accepted a total of $19,750 from PACs, and 42 have accepted a total of $12,615 in meals and other gifts.
Eleven senators have accepted a total of $3,000 or more.
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